On this page, we have an overview of the types of slot machines you can expect to find in casinos. Online and even right here at Free Slots 4U. If you're new to slots and are unsure about exactly what's out there. Then this page has all the key information you need to get up to speed!
Classic Slots
For the first types of slot machines, we kick things off with classic slots machines. With their 3 reels and one payline classic slots is the simplest types of slot machines. So they are a perfect choice if you're a total beginner.
Lots of classic slots hark back to the early days of one arm bandits and fruit machines. So you will find plenty of classic slots games with the traditional Fruit, Bell and BAR type symbols you are probably familiar with. However, classic slots can have any theme.
Classic slots tend not to have bonus games and many classic slots do not feature special symbols. Such as Wilds and Scatters which does keep play simple. But with the possible downside that they may be less exciting than more advanced and feature-rich slots. That said if you're a complete newbie, a very simple, no thrills classic slot game can be a great way to start playing.
Despite the fact they have been overshadowed by video slots in recent years. Slots machine developers do continue to release classic slots for both desktop and mobile. As they still remain a popular option for slots players. If you'd like to play a classic slot game right now then give our very own Classic slot machine a spin!
Classic 3-Reel Slot Games Traditionally, slot machines are based on 3-reel slots. This type of slot is made of much complicated mechanism that has physical wheels with symbols. It is the easiest. Perhaps the most popular type of slot game that exists, 5-reel slots bring a whole host of intriguing and appealing features to the table. Alongside the fact that there’s two reels more than 3-reel games, these particular products tend to also incorporate various forms of special features into their game play, including such additions as. Most online slots moved away from the classic 3 reel design, partially because it was possible with advanced programming to make the games more visually attractive and exciting. More reels also.
Video Slots
Having evolved from the classic slots machines. Video slots machines represent the latest and most popular version of the slot machine format. Video slots take obvious inspiration from the arcade and computer games. With their advanced graphics, gameplay, and features. The idea is all about attracting players with dazzling themes, slick animations, and eye-catching designs.
If you've ever been to a casino you'll probably have seen banks of the latest video slots, blinking and flashing away. You can now find video slots machines all over the world in various locations. Such as shopping malls, pubs, bars and even on the high streets of the UK and Australia, amongst other places. Also, of course, we now all enjoy having instant access to them online. On desktops, laptops as well as on our phones and tablets too.
All of the major slots developers are involved in producing video slots. With companies like Microgaming, Playtech, Realtime Gaming and Rival releasing new video slots games on a regular basis. At the best online casinos, you'll find an ever-expanding selection of video slots. Including slots that have amazing 3D animations and in-game footage from blockbuster movies.Along with exciting themes such as Game of Thrones, Tomb Raider, Batman, Marvel superheroes, Hollywood legends and much more!
Here at Free Slots 4U, we are unique amongst the slots machines players websites. In that, we have our very own team of developers working to create exclusive video slots machines for our visitors to play for free. Check out our ever-expanding selection of video slots machines for mobile and desktop devices. Which you can play right here, no download required!
Bonus Slots
Bonus slots are any slots that feature a bonus symbol. This is one of our favorite types of slot machines. What the bonus symbol does varies from game to game. But typically in a video slot, it will. When it makes up part of a winning payline. Trigger a special feature or bonus round.
Bonus slots are certainly one of the most popular types of slots. As bonus games and special features help keep play interesting. They can reward the players with more opportunities to win. As well as offer a bit of a change from just spinning some reels.
Bonus features vary from game to game. So you might find that after a bonus is triggered. Symbols shuffle position on the reels. Multipliers are awarded, free spins are triggered etc. Often, especially in the more advanced video slots machines. You will be taken to a new screen to play a bonus round.
These bonus games come in many different guises. Including the most common pick-an-item type game. eg you are presented with 4 mystery parcels and you must choose which one to open/reveal a prize.
Check out our very own exclusive bonus slots. We've got numerous bonus slots machines to play. Many of them with brilliant bonus rounds that are totally unique and exclusive to Free Slots 4U!
3D slots
With their amazing animated graphics. The latest 3D slots machines are some of the most visually attractive slots machines around. In terms of actual gameplay, 3D slots don't tend to be any different to 2D video slots. The only real difference being the enhanced graphics and animations. That 3D slots developers such as BetSoft use to make their slots machines look incredible!
3D slots obviously take inspiration from the likes of animated cartoons and video games. In terms of themes, you'll find a huge selection of fun 'stories' and characters to choose from. Including Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction types of slot machines.
We've got a small selection of games with 3D slots features here. Including our Fast Slots machine which features fighter jets zooming out of the screen!
I-Slots
I-slots or Interactive Slots were first introduced by slots developer Rival. The unique thing about these popular slots is that they are based around a story. Such as a murder mystery or romance and as you play the game you will be given options to choose which path to take next. Like an interactive adventure. I-Slots provide an entertaining twist on the standard slots machine as each time you play you can discover new things.
Here at Free Slots 4U, we've got our very own exclusive I-slot style game called Superior Slots. Which is themed around the story of a Mafia boss and your role in his organization!
Progressive Slots
Progressive slots are slots machines that have jackpots which increase every time someone makes a wager. As you can imagine these types of slot machines are very popular. Jackpots can rise into multi-million dollar prize amounts as players around the world wager on a slot and add to the prize pool.
Some games have random progressive jackpots. Which means absolutely any player can take the entire pot, at any time. while other games have specific requirements to trigger a progressive jackpot win. Such as hitting 5 of the same symbol while betting the maximum amount as possible.
We have our very own selection of free to play progressive slots machine right here at Free Slots 4U. While we can't promise the multi-million-pound jackpots of the big casinos. We do give away a $20 cash prize at random to anyone who manages to win one of our progressive jackpots.
Penny Slots
With a penny not worth very much. Slots machine manufacturers and developers have designed penny slots machines to help you part with your spare change! These slots cost 1 penny to spin but watch out because if you're betting on more than one payline then those pennies can soon add up. The Penny Slots types of slot machines can have lots of different themes. They can also still have bonus features and special symbols.
Tip: Penny slots with their minimal wager requirements are a good way to test out a slot game when you're ready to step up from free play mode.
For an example of a penny slot, you can try out our very own penny slot machine.
Pokies
'Pokies' is the slang name Australians use for slots and fruit machines. The term itself is believed to derive from 'Poker Machine'. They were first legalized in 1956 in New South Wales. Following the arrival of the first Pokie game called Clubman. Pokies are now found all across Australia in Casinos, bars & clubs etc. Despite the different name, the games are exactly the same as the slots games you will find elsewhere. Pokies are incredibly popular in Australia with both the online and mobile pokies markets expanding at a phenomenal pace.
High Roller Slots
Do you have money burning a hole in your pocket? Feeling flush after a win? If so then these types of slot machines are for you!
The High Roller slots machines might be just the thing! When you're ready to up the stakes. High Roller slots let you make the biggest wagers for the chance to reap the biggest rewards. Be warned, however, High Roller games are not for everyone. While High Rollers do tend to pay out a bit more than normal limits slots machines. Which you can use that to advantage, and can provide you with a 'buzz' of several impressive wins in a short space of time. You must keep an eye on your funds as it might only take a few losing spins to see you wiped out! Remember to always gamble responsibly and only risk money you can afford to lose!
Multi Payline Slots
A multi-payline slot game (also known as a multi-line slot) is simply any slot machine with more than one payline. Therefore these types of slot machines cover everything other than a classic slot machine. The average amount of paylines in a slot machine is probably around the 15 - 25 payline mark. However, you can find slots machines with many more paylines.
When you gamble on more than one payline. You increase the possibility of getting a winning line but your bets tend to cost more, of course.
Here at Free Slots 4U most of our games are multi-payline games. Ranging from 3 up to 30 paylines. Visit our Slots by Paylines page which is handy if you want to find a slot with a specific number of paylines.
Multi-reel Slots
Multi-reel slots are not actually that common. Many online casinos do not actually have any at all. But the principle is easy enough to understand. Instead of spinning one game's set of reels. You spin multiple game's reels at once. Just as if you were playing three, four, five or more slots machines at once. So if you've ever thought 'I wish I could play 9 slots machines at once but I've only got one pair of hands'. Then multi-reel slots are the types of slot machines you've been looking for and are the answer to your prayers!
No one here amongst the Free Slots 4U is a big fan of Multi-reel slots. To be honest we prefer to spin one set of reels at a time. The scarcer nature of the Multi-reel slots machines means there are fewer slots to choose from.
Play Slots Right Here!
Now you're up to speed on all the different types of slot machines. You can play our own versions right here at Free Slots 4U. With nothing to download and even the chance to win real cash prizes. There's no need to go looking for a casino just yet! Check out all free slots we have to offer listed A-Z. Or jump straight to our selection of multi-payline slots machines, free 3 reel slots, free bonus slots, 3D slots, 5 Reels slots, or Progressive Jackpot slots.
See when it comes to great slots machines, We have you covered!
If you can imagine it, some casino software producer out there has probably already made a slot about it. From big budget movie tie-ins to retro video game revivals, and everything in between, there are thousands of slot machines out there each with their own distinctive qualities.
With all of that said, even a relatively quick glance at a slot machine can actually tell you a lot about how it will play.
3-reel games are generally either older titles or are trying to evoke a sense of nostalgia. With a limited number of paylines, and more in common with the fruit machines you'll find in British pubs than Las Vegas video slots, they're not as popular as more modern and flashier titles.
Five reels is, in the world of online slots, more or less par for the course. You may, however, find a title that throws in an extra row/reel or two from time to time. This immediately gives the game a bit of novelty value, as it's different from the norm, so it's easy to understand why developers love to create such games.
Sometimes worth millions, or even tens of millions of CAD, we know exactly why so many slots players stick exclusively with titles that offer progressive jackpots. However, like when you play the lottery, the odds of actually landing one of these huge cash prizes is very small.
Standard jackpots may be much smaller than the average big progressive win, and are usually in the region of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of coins, but they're also more dependable i.e. you know exactly what you're going to get if you win big.
In theory, it's possible to win a progressive jackpot just after it's been won. Even in this case you would probably win tens or hundreds of thousands of C$, but you might be disappointed if the player who won just before you took home millions.
The number of paylines a game has depends, to some extent on how many reels it has. The average game has between 25 and 50 paylines, but features like Reel Power mean that many games boast hundreds of different ways to win.
The more ways to win, the lower the value of most prizes you'll rack up will be. If the high number of paylines in a game means that you'll be winning every few spins then you can't realistically expect most of those wins to be more than, or even equal to, your initial bet.
We've already touched on this above, as the number of paylines a game offers has a significant impact on its variance. In layman's terms, variance refers to the risk of a game. High variance means that there's a high risk you'll burn through your bankroll very quickly without winning anything.
Low variance, on the other hand, means that you can expect to pick up lots of small wins while you play. So why would anyone choose a high variance game over a low variance one? Simple – the higher a game's variance, the higher its jackpot.
Because players win less regularly in a high variance title, casinos can afford to give away a larger prize when someone does hit the jackpot. It may not be immediately obvious whether a game has a high or low variance, but a look at its jackpot and number of paylines should give you a big clue.
A game with lots of paylines and a low jackpot is likely to have a very low variance, while a game with just a few paylines and a high jackpot has a high variance. Most games sit somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.
Virtually all slots, with only a few exceptions, contain mini-games or bonus features. Even those that don't will probably have some form of re-spin feature or similar, which is in itself a type of bonus feature.
Most games have a bonus round comprised of a set number of free spins with a fixed multiplier and/or extra wilds, but others will give you a choice over whether you want more spins/wilds or a higher multiplier.
Different Slot Machine Games
It's worth taking a look at the types of bonus features a game has before you start playing. If a game has, for example, four bonus rounds but you only like the look of one of them then it may be worth looking elsewhere for a title that's more your style.
With so many different titles to choose from, and so many different components that make up a game, actually choosing a game to play can be a bit overwhelming. The truth of the matter is that most slots players jump between a few slots in the early days of their playing 'career' while they figure out what they like.
An easy way to get a jump on this is to ask yourself the following question: 'what do I want to get out of playing the slots?' If you're feeling lucky and looking for a quick flutter with a massive potential jackpot, then you want to find a progressive title that has a high variance.
Names Of Slot Machines
If, on the other hand, you're feeling very patient and want to pad your bankroll gradually over long playing sessions then you probably want a lower variance game with a smaller jackpot. Fortunately, with thousands of games on the web, you'll be able to find whatever you're looking for!